1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mechanism for encasing a cassette including various magnetic record mediums such as a tape cassette. More particularly, the present invention relates to such a case for encasing a cassette having a main case body and a cover which are connected for rotation relative to each other so that the cassette is closed or open, and further to a case for encasing a cassette in which the case is made with respect to operation for inserting the cassette into the case and taking a cassette out of the case.
2. Description of the Related Art
Magnetic record medium having a rectangular parallelepiped cassette shell such as a 8 mm cassette tape and a video tape cassette is usually preserved in a case for encasing a cassette in order to prevent that foreign material such as dust is adhered to a surface of data storing medium such as a magnetic tape or data storing medium is damaged.
Such a case includes, for instance, a so-called plastic case which is transparent and includes an assembly of a main case body and a cover, and a so-called hard case having a cover and a main case body connected to each other in facing relation through a connection having a hinged portion.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a conventional hard case for encasing a video cassette. A hard case 10 includes a main case body B and a cover C connected to each other in foldable fashion through a connection J.
The main case body B, the cover C and the connection J are integrally formed of flexible material such as synthetic resin. The main case body B and the cover C are designed to be able to be piled on top of another by a flexible connection J. A bottom plate 12 of the main case body B is formed at a circumference thereof with a frame 14 having a height and defining a space corresponding to a shape of a cassette, namely a space into which a cassette is to be inserted.
The cover C is formed at a lower surface of a roof 16 thereof with a frame 18 having a height and extending along a front end and left and right sides of the roof 16. The frame 18 is designed to externally cover the frame 14. In inserting a magnetic tape cassette 20 into the case 10, while the hard case 10 is maintained to be open as illustrated in FIG. 1, the magnetic tape cassette 20 is put into the main case body B, and then the cover C is closed. Since the cassette 20 is restricted in position so that all sides of the cassette 20 is held by the frame 14 defining cassette storing space, it is preferable for the cassette storing space to have little gap relative to the cassette.
Various attempts have been made to prevent unexpected opening of the cover of the case. For instance, the cover C is formed at inner side of the frame 18 in the vicinity of the front end of the roof 16 with ribs 22. The ribs 22 cooperate with the adjacent frame 18 to hold the frame 14 between the ribs, so that the hard case is prevented from opening unexpectedly.
As mentioned above, most of cases such as the above mentioned hard case for encasing a magnetic record medium cassette is formed merely with a space into which a magnetic tape cassette is to be inserted. Since a direction in which a magnetic tape cassette is inserted into a case is not regulated, a magnetic tape cassette may be inserted into a case bottom up. If a magnetic tape cassette is inserted into a cassette case bottom up, when the magnetic tape cassette is taken out of the cassette case, an operator may seize the magnetic tape cassette at its tape guard panel side, which would cause the magnetic tape to be damaged.
In order to resolve such a problem, Unexamined Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-106285 has suggested a cassette case for preventing bottom up insertion of a magnetic tape cassette, which case is formed with a projection which is designed to fit into a recess formed on a reverse surface of a magnetic tape cassette.
However, in the suggested cassette case, since the projection of the cassette case is fit into the magnetic tape cassette, it is necessary, when the magnetic tape cassette is to be taken out of the case, to seize up the magnetic tape cassette in a direction for disengaging the magnetic tape cassette from the projection. Namely, the suggested case has a problem of some difficulty on taking the magnetic tape cassette out of the case.
In addition, the projection disposed on a bottom of the cassette case poses another problem particularly when a cassette case is made of light-permeable material. Namely, when an index card is interposed between a bottom of a such cassette case and a reverse surface of the magnetic tape cassette, it is not possible to read out contents written on the index card from outside of the cassette case. In such a case, it is possible to insert a magnetic tape cassette into a case with an index card lying on a top surface of the magnetic tape cassette. However, such insertion causes another problems that design on a top surface of the magnetic tape cassette cannot be seen, that if data is written on a top surface of the magnetic tape cassette, it is not possible to see such date, and that the index card has to be dealt together with the magnetic tape cassette when the magnetic tape cassette is to be taken out of or to be inserted into the cassette case with the result of poor operation efficiency.